Mute



' Aug. 24, V, .s K ER MUTE Filed Jan. 18, 1935 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to mutes for stringed instruments, particularly violins, cellos, or the like, for muting the tone produced by the bow in passing over the strings.

The principal object of the invention is to produce a mute for a stringed instrument which may be removably fixed to the tail-piece thereof, and thereby be ever ready for use when desired.

Another object of the invention is to produce such a mute which may produce various degrees of muting the tone, and one that may be made effective with the least physical effort on the part of the musician.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 5 will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a fragmental portion of a violin showing my improved mute attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged vertical section of the mute operating mechanism.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the mute itself. Figure 4 is a section on the line 44, Figure 2. In the drawing the numeral 1 represents the belly of the violin or other musical instrument, upon which is frictionally mounted the bridge 2, over which the strings as indicated at 3 pass, and the tension of which springs maintains the bridge in its position on the violin.

The ordinary manner of dampening or muting the tone of a violin is to slip a common mute over the upper edge of the bridge, the mute having Slits cut vertically therein so as not to affect the strings. This clamping of the bridge by the mute dampens the vibrations considerably and thereby affects the tone. It is very seldom that a mute is called for or required during the entire rendition of any particular musical composition,

and consequently the musician must be quite adept at placing and removing his mute. With the invention herein described, this annoyance is almost entirely eliminated, and merely calls for a simple manual adjustment to bring the mute into effect, since it is always attached to the violin and ready for service when required.

A portion of the tail piece of the violin is indicated at 4, and, as is well known, the rear end of same is secured centrally to the rear of the violin and the forward free end is provided with four key-hole shaped openings, one of which is indicated at 5, and in which the strings are normally secured. In one of these holes, preferably that one which would otherwise secure the D" string, my improved mute mechanism is mounted. This mechanism comprises a channel-shaped base member 6, through each leg of which is formed a rectangularly shaped opening I, in which openings the mute shaft 8 is slidably mounted. An expansive helical spring 8 is mounted about the shaft 8 and engages at one end one leg of the base 6 and at the other end the adjustable sliding nut l0 mounted upon the shaft and fixed thereto in any set position by the set screw II. The shaft may have longitudinally spaced holes therein for engagement by the set screw for a more secure setting of the nut. Into the base member is screwed the circular sleeve I2, it being internally and. externally screw threaded, and provided with a pair of oppositely disposed saw-cut slots l3, in one of which is pivotally fixed as at 26 the operating tongue l4, it having an enlarged head-like portion and being pivoted in one end or corner thereof. Being thus pivoted this tongue may swing backward and forward on its pivotal connection in the slots l3. Since the free end of the tongue is in engagement with the nut [0 by reason of the spring 9 forcing it against the tongue at .all times, when the tongue moves on its pivotal connection, it will correspondingly move the mute shaft 8.

Between the base member 6 and the tail-piece 4 there is installed a thin piece of velvet or other sound-absorbing material l5.

To hold the mechanism thus far described within the string hole 5, I have provided a bushing-like nut l6 having an internally screw threaded tapering truncated cone-like lower portion for screw threaded engagement with the upper portion of the sleeve l2, and into which nut Hi the operating screw I1 is installed. By screwing the operating screw H in or out of the sleeve I2 the tongue l4 and mute shaft 8 will be accordingly actuated. To hold the D string, a collar I8 is provided about the nut IE, it having an extension I9 provided with a hub about which the D string may be secured.

The mute itself is of simple construction and includes a piece of arcuately shaped thin spring steel 20, adjacent either end of which is fixed a weight 2|. At the end of the mute shaft 8 is fixed a small piece of metal 22, between which and the spring 20 is installed a rubber cushioning element 23, and these three elements are sewn together, the stitching being indicated in dotted lines. About these elements are two layers of velvet 24 and on the bridge engaging face of the mute is .a piece of leather25. By this construction, particularly inserting the rubber 23 between the metal elements, the mute is permitted to float and center itself against the bridge, besides equalizing the pressure at both ends.

It is desirable of course that the mute may be engaged or released with or from the bridge with the least and quickest effort possible on the part of the musician, and therefore the parts are designed so that a movement of the mute is all that is necessary, and the leverage of the tongue M in relation to the pitch of the threads on the screw I1 is such that this f movement can be accomplished with but a single turn of the operating screw. This, as will be apparent even to the layman, is a very desirable feature.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have devised an exceptionally convenient form of mute,

relieving the musician from all sorts of worry and mishaps in the application of a mute to his stringed instrument during the rendition of a musical composition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 1. The combination with the tail piece having 4 string openings therein and bridge of a stringed instrument, of a mute and mute shaft slidably 25 attached to and beneath the tail piece, and means attached within and projecting through one of the string openings in the tail piece and coopera tively associated with said shaft to cause it to reciprocate and thereby engage or disengage the .30 mute and bridge.

2. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge and a tail piece, comprising a slidable I mute shaft attachable to the tail piece of said instrument, a mute on the end of the shaft, a

35 spring on said shaft for holding the same retracted, a nut slidably mounted upon the shaft 1 and engaging one end of the spring for adjusting the tension of said spring, a lever pivotally mounted within the tailpiece and engageable 40 with said nut for moving the shaft, and manually operable means engageable with said lever to cause the mute to engage or disengage the bridge of said instrument.

3. The combination with the tail piece of a stringed instrument having string securing openings therein, of mute operating mechanism removably fixed within one of the string openings in said tail piece, a movable mute shaft associated with said mechanism, a mute on the end of said shaft, a lever pivoted within said mechanism engageable with and for moving said shaft, and means projecting through said opening and engaging said lever to move the mute shaft for causing the mute to engage or disengage the bridge of said instrument.

4. The combination with a stringed instrument having a tail piece and bridge thereupon, of a mute operating device comprising a reciprocable mute shaft carried upon the under side of said tail piece, and a thumb screw extending through the tail piece and cooperatively associated with the mute shaft for operating the mute and its shaft towards the bridge of the instrument, and a spring about said shaft for biasing the shaft and mute away from said bridge.

5. A- mute for a stringed instrument'having a tail piece and a bridge, comprising a slidable mute shaft attachable to the tail piece of said instrument, means attached to said tail piece and projecting therefrom and engageable with said shaft to cause it to move to or from the bridge, a flexible spring attached to the end of said shaft, and a facing of leather secured to said spring and engageable with said bridge.

6. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge, and a tail piece, comprising a slidable mute shaft attachable'to the tail piece, means attached to and projecting from the tail piece and cooperatively associated with said shaft to cause it to move to or from the bridge, a'flexible spring attached to the end of said shaft, textile material covering said spring, and a facing of fibrous material secured to said textilematerial and engageable with said bridge.

VERN SYDNEY SKAMSER. 

